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The Legend of Wonder Woman #1-4
Wonder Woman: Forgotten Legends
From comics legend Kurt Busiek, Wonder Woman's classic adventures are collected in WONDER WOMAN: FORGOTTEN LEGENDS.
From comics legend Kurt Busiek, Wonder Woman's classic adventures are collected in WONDER WOMAN: FORGOTTEN LEGENDS.
Preparing to depart Paradise Island forever, Queen Hippolyta learns an untold tale of the legendary Amazon--the return of Atomia! Then Wonder Woman is transported to the 63rd century to save the Amazons from a race of pig-men who have inhabited their island, and from their abandonment of Aphrodite's ways. With surprise appearances by Batman, Black Canary, Changeling and Darkseid!
Collects THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN #1-4 (1986), WONDER WOMAN #318, WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #2, WONDER WOMAN GALLERY #1.
From comics legend Kurt Busiek, Wonder Woman's classic adventures are collected in WONDER WOMAN: FORGOTTEN LEGENDS.
Preparing to depart Paradise Island forever, Queen Hippolyta learns an untold tale of the legendary Amazon--the return of Atomia! Then Wonder Woman is transported to the 63rd century to save the Amazons from a race of pig-men who have inhabited their island, and from their abandonment of Aphrodite's ways. With surprise appearances by Batman, Black Canary, Changeling and Darkseid!
Collects THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN #1-4 (1986), WONDER WOMAN #318, WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #2, WONDER WOMAN GALLERY #1.
128 pages, Paperback
Published March 27, 2018
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Kurt Busiek
1,859 books626 followersKurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 14, 2018
A decent throw back to Wonder Woman's Golden Age roots, but I don't think I could recommend it to anyone except die hard Wonder Woman fans or Kurt Busiek completionists.
February 11, 2019
When DC Comics decided to reorganize their continuity with Crisis on Infinite Earths both Superman and Batman were given a "send-off" before their continuity was revised per the terms of the Crisis. Alan Moore was given the task of finishing off the pre-Crisis Superman run before John Byrne took over and produced the singularly brilliant "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" Frank Miller took a different approach with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns which was the return of the gritty, violent, brooding Batman of the 1930s and 40s who had effectively been neutered by the Comics Code Authority. Since Miller had also been tapped to write "Batman: Year One" he was both closing and rewriting the book on Batman for the post-Crisis audience. However, DC has always been know for the trio of heroes exist at the top of the superhero food chain and in the lead up to George Perez's new Wonder Woman book, DC also produced a four issue limited series for a "final" Wonder Woman story arc to fill the gap between the cancellation of the original book in February 1986 and Perez's new book a year later, written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by Trina Robbins.
Those who have read my reviews of Astro City know that Busiek is a master of his craft, but in the summer of 1986, Busiek was relatively new to the business (his first work for DC was a Green Lantern backup in 1983, and works like Astro City and Avengers Forever (which are his gold standard) were in his future. I think when people read the mini-series when it was published in 1986 probably found it easy to dismiss. After all, this was now the age of Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen--and anyone who read "The Legend of Wonder Woman" at the time found it too cartoony and corny given the contemporary tastes. But with hindsight we see that this really is Busiek at his nascent best--he set out to produce a comic that was a tribute to the Golden Age Wonder Woman. Yes it goes against the grain of what was prevalent in the wake of the completion of Crisis, but I am convinced that this is what Busiek had in mind when he wrote the series--the Golden Age Wonder Woman was being put to pasture and there would be plenty of time for "gritty" Wonder Woman stories in Perez's run. What better way to celebrate Wonder Woman than dusting off an obscure Golden Age Wonder Woman villain and having Wonder Woman go at it?
And then there is Trina Robbins.
I don't want to dismiss her contributions here. She co-plotted and drew the book. For all I know, Atomia and the character of Suzie were all Robbins (the latter character seems to be the case according to the introduction to this volume written by Robbins), but the greatest contribution here is Robbins art. If Busiek and Robbins wanted to pay tribute to the Golden Age Wonder Woman, then they nailed it. Robbins draws the book in the style of original Wonder Woman artist H.G. Peters, but with her own spin. In addition, apart from Steve Trevor, almost ever major character driving the action in the book are women--Wonder Woman, Atomia, the twins Solala and Leila, the Amazons and Suzie. I'm certain that this is the force of Robbins on the book. When this was published Robbins and her feminist ideals would have been a known quantity to DC editorial and a new writer like Busiek was at the time probably let Robbins do most of the driving. If anything what we learn from this series is that waiting until 1986 to let Robbins work on Wonder Woman was a shame. Of course Robbins feminism made perfect sense to apply to Wonder Woman--after all, the Golden Age Wonder Woman was the first super-heroine and she was written by William Moulton Marston to be an equal to the likes of Superman and Batman. Why would Robbins not want to celebrate that? (Although one wonders if Robbins would have dedicated the mini-series to Marston if she had known all of the dirt revealed in Jill Lepore's The Secret History of Wonder Woman.)
In addition to "The Legend of Wonder Woman," there are also separate Robbins and Busiek Wonder Woman stories to fill out the volume. The Busiek contribution is fairly boiler-plate superhero stuff, and not indicative of how great he would be later, even on "The Legend of Wonder Woman." The Robbins story, written by fellow underground comics veteran Lee Marrs, is a nice little story where women show men where their more base impulses will get them. It's a story that is as relevant as when it was written in 1989, given the #metoo movement and the horrors we see powerful men visit upon women. Perhaps Marrs and Robbins weren't attempting to go that deep, but the way it is written, it's easy to apply to contemporary times, even thirty years later.
I'm really glad that DC decided to release "The Legend of Wonder Woman" in this trade format, because I didn't want to go hunt down my copies of the individual issues. Yes, they are able to say that the guy who created Astro City was a part of this, but the real star of the show is Robbins, and it's a shame that she didn't get to work with Wonder Woman more often.
Those who have read my reviews of Astro City know that Busiek is a master of his craft, but in the summer of 1986, Busiek was relatively new to the business (his first work for DC was a Green Lantern backup in 1983, and works like Astro City and Avengers Forever (which are his gold standard) were in his future. I think when people read the mini-series when it was published in 1986 probably found it easy to dismiss. After all, this was now the age of Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen--and anyone who read "The Legend of Wonder Woman" at the time found it too cartoony and corny given the contemporary tastes. But with hindsight we see that this really is Busiek at his nascent best--he set out to produce a comic that was a tribute to the Golden Age Wonder Woman. Yes it goes against the grain of what was prevalent in the wake of the completion of Crisis, but I am convinced that this is what Busiek had in mind when he wrote the series--the Golden Age Wonder Woman was being put to pasture and there would be plenty of time for "gritty" Wonder Woman stories in Perez's run. What better way to celebrate Wonder Woman than dusting off an obscure Golden Age Wonder Woman villain and having Wonder Woman go at it?
And then there is Trina Robbins.
I don't want to dismiss her contributions here. She co-plotted and drew the book. For all I know, Atomia and the character of Suzie were all Robbins (the latter character seems to be the case according to the introduction to this volume written by Robbins), but the greatest contribution here is Robbins art. If Busiek and Robbins wanted to pay tribute to the Golden Age Wonder Woman, then they nailed it. Robbins draws the book in the style of original Wonder Woman artist H.G. Peters, but with her own spin. In addition, apart from Steve Trevor, almost ever major character driving the action in the book are women--Wonder Woman, Atomia, the twins Solala and Leila, the Amazons and Suzie. I'm certain that this is the force of Robbins on the book. When this was published Robbins and her feminist ideals would have been a known quantity to DC editorial and a new writer like Busiek was at the time probably let Robbins do most of the driving. If anything what we learn from this series is that waiting until 1986 to let Robbins work on Wonder Woman was a shame. Of course Robbins feminism made perfect sense to apply to Wonder Woman--after all, the Golden Age Wonder Woman was the first super-heroine and she was written by William Moulton Marston to be an equal to the likes of Superman and Batman. Why would Robbins not want to celebrate that? (Although one wonders if Robbins would have dedicated the mini-series to Marston if she had known all of the dirt revealed in Jill Lepore's The Secret History of Wonder Woman.)
In addition to "The Legend of Wonder Woman," there are also separate Robbins and Busiek Wonder Woman stories to fill out the volume. The Busiek contribution is fairly boiler-plate superhero stuff, and not indicative of how great he would be later, even on "The Legend of Wonder Woman." The Robbins story, written by fellow underground comics veteran Lee Marrs, is a nice little story where women show men where their more base impulses will get them. It's a story that is as relevant as when it was written in 1989, given the #metoo movement and the horrors we see powerful men visit upon women. Perhaps Marrs and Robbins weren't attempting to go that deep, but the way it is written, it's easy to apply to contemporary times, even thirty years later.
I'm really glad that DC decided to release "The Legend of Wonder Woman" in this trade format, because I didn't want to go hunt down my copies of the individual issues. Yes, they are able to say that the guy who created Astro City was a part of this, but the real star of the show is Robbins, and it's a shame that she didn't get to work with Wonder Woman more often.
December 21, 2019
Blast from the past! Enjoyable but could have done without the Suzie character. She's like the Wesley Crusher of the WW universe!
June 26, 2019
Don't let some of the comic book cheesiness in this volume fool you. There are profound ideas buried underneath all the talk of atom galaxies and magic purple rays that can miraculously heal any injury.
I'm pretty sure this is the first Wonder Woman comic I've ever read. I started with this one because Trina Robbins, the artist, is said to be the first woman artist to ever draw Wonder Woman, and she's going to be appearing at a local convention soon. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience her work and then pay my respects in person.
In the intro, she says that she wanted to draw Diana in a retro style that paid tribute to the character's roots. The colors in this are very eye-popping, and while the scenery may not be as rich and detailed as what you find in many contemporary comics, the whole thing has an old-fashioned charm about it that worked well for me.
Perhaps the most touching aspect of Robbins's work here is that when she began to draw the little girl, Suzie, who ends up going on an adventure with her idol Diana, Robbins drew the character to look like her childhood self, without even realizing it at first, thereby fulfilling one of her fondest adolescent fantasies and--in the process--the fantasy of all young girls (and young boys, for that matter) who find themselves inspired by Diana's example.
I also enjoyed the bonus stories included in this particular volume. There is a strikingly profound scene in the last few pages (written by Kurt Busiek) where the Amazons come to realize they have fallen away from their own ideals and have broken fellowship with their patron goddess, Aphrodite. As soon as they have "repented" as a group, Aphrodite appears and makes a speech that (because of my own upbringing) sounds very like one of the many passages in the Old Testament where the Israelites beg God for forgiveness and are lovingly restored to their former fellowship with Him.
I'm not suggesting that's what the writer had in mind, but anyone familiar with the mindset of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the like would probably agree that it's not a stretch to say that such scenes can be taken (by those looking out for them) as signs pointing to the Myth That Became Fact!
I'm pretty sure this is the first Wonder Woman comic I've ever read. I started with this one because Trina Robbins, the artist, is said to be the first woman artist to ever draw Wonder Woman, and she's going to be appearing at a local convention soon. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience her work and then pay my respects in person.
In the intro, she says that she wanted to draw Diana in a retro style that paid tribute to the character's roots. The colors in this are very eye-popping, and while the scenery may not be as rich and detailed as what you find in many contemporary comics, the whole thing has an old-fashioned charm about it that worked well for me.
Perhaps the most touching aspect of Robbins's work here is that when she began to draw the little girl, Suzie, who ends up going on an adventure with her idol Diana, Robbins drew the character to look like her childhood self, without even realizing it at first, thereby fulfilling one of her fondest adolescent fantasies and--in the process--the fantasy of all young girls (and young boys, for that matter) who find themselves inspired by Diana's example.
I also enjoyed the bonus stories included in this particular volume. There is a strikingly profound scene in the last few pages (written by Kurt Busiek) where the Amazons come to realize they have fallen away from their own ideals and have broken fellowship with their patron goddess, Aphrodite. As soon as they have "repented" as a group, Aphrodite appears and makes a speech that (because of my own upbringing) sounds very like one of the many passages in the Old Testament where the Israelites beg God for forgiveness and are lovingly restored to their former fellowship with Him.
I'm not suggesting that's what the writer had in mind, but anyone familiar with the mindset of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the like would probably agree that it's not a stretch to say that such scenes can be taken (by those looking out for them) as signs pointing to the Myth That Became Fact!
April 16, 2021
DNF. Only reviewing the "Legend of Wonder Woman" miniseries, not the extra content of the TPB.
I was under the impression that this was going to be some kind of clever reconstructionist twist on the zany Silver Age Wonder Woman mythos. After all, it is written by one of the kings of comic reconstructionism himself, Kurt Busiek! Perhaps a Silver Age equivalent to Grant Morrison's "Earth One" homage to Golden Age Wonder Woman.
That's not what it is...at all.
It's literally just a generic Silver Age-y story, told in the generic Silver Age style, with generic Silver Age characters, and eye-rolling Silver Age verbosity. No twist. No commentary. No ideas. Nothing original at all. I didn't read past the first issue because it took me approximately ten thousand years just to finish those 20-something pages, so if there is some kind of genius twist that happens later on, I'll never know. If you're a fan of Silver Age Wonder Woman (all three of you), then I expect you will quite enjoy this volume as a last hurrah for that version of the character. Otherwise? Stay far, far away. Sad to say but this is the worst Busiek comic I've read to date. If you want to see some of his best work, check out "Superman: Secret Identity" instead. If you want a much better "spin" on oldschool Wonder Woman, check out the aforementioned "Wonder Woman: Earth One" by Grant Morrison, or just check out the George Perez run. Hell, even the original Marston run would be a better investment.
The Silver Age was... a rough time for Diana, to say the least. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised when the homage to said era is of equal quality, Busiek or not.
I was under the impression that this was going to be some kind of clever reconstructionist twist on the zany Silver Age Wonder Woman mythos. After all, it is written by one of the kings of comic reconstructionism himself, Kurt Busiek! Perhaps a Silver Age equivalent to Grant Morrison's "Earth One" homage to Golden Age Wonder Woman.
That's not what it is...at all.
It's literally just a generic Silver Age-y story, told in the generic Silver Age style, with generic Silver Age characters, and eye-rolling Silver Age verbosity. No twist. No commentary. No ideas. Nothing original at all. I didn't read past the first issue because it took me approximately ten thousand years just to finish those 20-something pages, so if there is some kind of genius twist that happens later on, I'll never know. If you're a fan of Silver Age Wonder Woman (all three of you), then I expect you will quite enjoy this volume as a last hurrah for that version of the character. Otherwise? Stay far, far away. Sad to say but this is the worst Busiek comic I've read to date. If you want to see some of his best work, check out "Superman: Secret Identity" instead. If you want a much better "spin" on oldschool Wonder Woman, check out the aforementioned "Wonder Woman: Earth One" by Grant Morrison, or just check out the George Perez run. Hell, even the original Marston run would be a better investment.
The Silver Age was... a rough time for Diana, to say the least. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised when the homage to said era is of equal quality, Busiek or not.
April 28, 2021
I love Trina Robbins and could listen to her talk all day about comic books. Check out some interviews with her on YouTube. She is delightful!
As someone who grew up reading the original Wonder Woman comics in the 40s and 50s, Trina Robbins talks of the character with love, nostalgia, and reverence. She's interested in Wonder Woman's original incarnation and the Amazon mission of equality and love, dismissing grittier modern interpretations that, as she puts it, were more focused on making her costume smaller. So when she was asked to do this 4-part mini-series in the 1980s, she told DC she was on board as long as she could use her cherished classic Wonder Woman.
What unfolds is a weird, whimsical, and wonderfully retro adventure suitable for all ages, light-hearted but somewhat bittersweet when you realize what she and co-plotter Kurt Busiek are really doing. It's crazy how Crisis on Infinite Earths remains the touchstone universe-bending event in DC history, despite many later soft reboots, continuity rewrites, Zero Hours, Superboy Prime punches, and that awful New 52 thing. But it wasn't until I was reading this collection that I realized this was meant to be classic Wonder Woman's sweet sendoff before the modern George Perez treatment that followed Crisis, complete with a framing story that tells what becomes of the original Amazons. It's innocent fun on the surface, poignant underneath.
As someone who grew up reading the original Wonder Woman comics in the 40s and 50s, Trina Robbins talks of the character with love, nostalgia, and reverence. She's interested in Wonder Woman's original incarnation and the Amazon mission of equality and love, dismissing grittier modern interpretations that, as she puts it, were more focused on making her costume smaller. So when she was asked to do this 4-part mini-series in the 1980s, she told DC she was on board as long as she could use her cherished classic Wonder Woman.
What unfolds is a weird, whimsical, and wonderfully retro adventure suitable for all ages, light-hearted but somewhat bittersweet when you realize what she and co-plotter Kurt Busiek are really doing. It's crazy how Crisis on Infinite Earths remains the touchstone universe-bending event in DC history, despite many later soft reboots, continuity rewrites, Zero Hours, Superboy Prime punches, and that awful New 52 thing. But it wasn't until I was reading this collection that I realized this was meant to be classic Wonder Woman's sweet sendoff before the modern George Perez treatment that followed Crisis, complete with a framing story that tells what becomes of the original Amazons. It's innocent fun on the surface, poignant underneath.
April 1, 2018
Trina Robbins and Kurt Busiek pay delightful homage to the Wonder Woman stories of the 1950s in this collection of stories from the 1980s. The main body of the book collects the Legend of Wonder Woman story set immediately after her "death" in Crisis on Infinite Earths. It serves as a wonderful reminder of the types of fantastic adventures that set Wonder Woman apart from her crime-fighting male counterparts. Story, script and art evoke feelings of those bygone days without coming across as parody or blatant copies of the originals. There aren't enough superhero comics that feel as charming and charismatic as their leads are supposed to be, but this book oozes charm in spades. The book also includes a slightly later story illustrated by Robbins, featuring a more contemporary version of Wonder Woman, but no less charming. And finally, we get an early Wonder Woman story by Busiek, drawn by the reliable Irv Novick. It's a more contemporary-style adventure (well, for 1985) but still a lot of fun.
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June 2, 2019Published just after Crisis and before George Perez’s run, the four-issue Legend of Wonder Woman is a fine, if forgettable throwback to the character’s Golden Age. Diana, Steve, and Etta Candy’s niece work to stop Atomia from enslaving Earth. True to the Golden Age, there’s bondage, mental radios, and even those Amazonian kangas. Trina Robbins’ art intentionally references Harry G. Peter, the major Wonder Woman artist of the 40’s. This also marks an early effort from one of my favorite writers, Kurt Busiek.
Tacked on are two issues drawn by Robbins and written by Busiek, respectively. I liked Robbins’ story for its Grant Morrison-esque fourth wall breaking.
Tacked on are two issues drawn by Robbins and written by Busiek, respectively. I liked Robbins’ story for its Grant Morrison-esque fourth wall breaking.
May 25, 2018
Very old school but well done
July 3, 2018
Public library copy.
Lovely art intentionally done in a style from the early days of WW.
Lovely art intentionally done in a style from the early days of WW.
December 9, 2018
An extra star for a perfect Steve Trevor. The artwork is wonderful and the story engaging.
November 26, 2021
The bratty child ruined it for me.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews